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US churches campaign to end Israel’s apartheid system

June 8, 2023 at 9:03 am

People march during a protest organized by Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine [Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu Agency]

Some 100 North American congregations, faith groups and organisations have launched the Apartheid Free Communities campaign aimed at ending the crime of apartheid committed by Israel against Palestinians.

The campaign’s founding statement said it draws inspiration from the anti-apartheid movement that overthrew the apartheid regime in South Africa.

It called for building “societies free from apartheid within societies of faith and societies of conscience by moving away from any support for Israeli apartheid, occupation and settler colonialism.”

“For decades, the Palestinian people have faced Israeli occupation and systematic human rights abuses that constitute apartheid,” the statement said.

The campaign is open to individuals and societies who agree to take a pledge to dismantle apartheid.

A similar campaign was launched in Canada in July last year to educate and enable Canadians to participate in the effort to end the oppression of the Palestinian people.

READ: Foreign Affairs magazine: Israel apartheid and Jewish supremacy